Who Comes Knocking
by RelativeTheory
Summary: An unexpected encounter may be the catalyst to give Earth a fighting chance. A hypothetical lead-up to the Infinity War. Full spoiler warning mentioned inside.
1. Chapter 1

**After seeing Thor: Ragnarok and the end-credits scene and then the Infinity War trailer (the first one- the YouTube record-breaking one) I wanted to make a story concerning the events in between. I already know that when Infinity War actually comes out it's going to utterly destroy this head canon, but that's why it's a fanfiction and not a Star Wars novel.**

 **Disclaimer: I'm not liable for any spoilers concerning Guardians of the Galaxy vol.2, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Thor: Ragnarok, or information provided in the first Infinity War trailer. You have been sufficiently warned.**

 **Oh, and I don't own any of the MARVEL franchise copyrights/trademarks. In case you were wondering.**

* * *

The bridge was an oddity, and Peter realized-three fourths of the way coming over that anyone sitting so precariously may have wanted to be alone. He decided to say hello to the man anyways.

 _Sometimes the ones who want to be alone should be the ones you talk to._

 _That's not always true, Peter._

 _A greeting's okay, though. Right? Just a friendly neighborhood teenager, saying hello to a friendly middle-aged man._

That was an odd thing as well. The man looked on the young side of life. If Peter had to guess, he'd call him at the cusp of his thirties. It was strange for someone like that to sit on an old wooden bridge.

When he first approached the man ignored him. Peter awkwardly stood there, then gripped the railing of the bridge. "Hello." It was barely a squeak.

"H-hello, sir!"  
The man's emerald-green eyes pierced him through, almost chagrined. "I heard you quite clearly."

Peter drew back too quickly, which meant he got splinters. It seemed rude to pick them out while he was engaged in a conversation. He lowered his hand awkwardly to his side and stammered out an apology. "S-sorry. I- you didn't respond, so I wasn't sure if you thought I was speaking to someone else, and you just sat there- what's so interesting about the ground? Not that there's anything wrong with it, I mean-"

The man silenced him with a raised palm, finding that enough to communicate. His gaze shifted back towards the river beneath him. "The water is…calming."

"...Okay." Peter was starting to wonder if he picked a wrong person to talk to.

 _Peter you idiot didn't someone ever tell you not to talk to strange strangers_

He wondered if his awkward response was considered final enough to end the conversation. He ran through his options. He didn't want to pull out his phone because the hand on his cell phone side still had splinters in it, and pulling out splinters seemed rude.

He also realized why he was over by the bridge in the first place. The bridge crossed to a small park which crossed to a streetway which he usually used to walk to the now-abandoned Avengers Tower. Just to make sure that no one vandalized it or anything. And maybe to see if Mr. Stark was in there.

 _He did say he could visit, right?_

"Uh, sorry man, I gotta go."

There was no reply until Peter was nearly off the bridge.

"And where are you going to?" He seemed more inquisitive than snide.

"My...uh...helping Mr. Stark with some stuff."

Those emerald eyes were back on Peter now, almost confused. "His place was empty, last I heard."

"Oh yeah, he moved upstate-" Peter instantly froze.

 _Oh man Oh man was I not supposed to say that- no, wait, it was on TV._

"Anyways, I was just about to check out the place- you see, I have an internship, so it's not illegal or anything, in fact-"

"I understand." Peter breathed out a relieved sigh. "I'm an acquaintance of Anthony's, actually; if you'd be so kind as to let him know I'm in the city…" His eyes turned wry. "Or better yet, I could surprise him. Upstate, you said?"

"Yeah." Now Peter was wearing a confused expression, but the most he knew of Mr. Stark's personal life was…sporadic. He figured that if Mr. Stark really knew the guy he would let him in. If not, well, he had well enough security.

 _I mean_ , Peter thought, _he's a billionaire Avenger._

"That can be arranged." The man fluidly swung his legs around the railing so that he sat above the actual bridge part of the bridge. "Thank you." He walked over to shake Peter's hand, and smiled. "I'll be off then as well."

"Um…" It was bad timing. Peter hastily took out any visible splinters and shook, meeting the man's eyes.

Everything about him was formal. Even his clothes were sleek and refined, with tailored suit that made him appear like he'd only taken a break from one of the business buildings. But something about his stature made Peter think that he flew in higher circles, which would make sense if he really did know Mr. Stark.

The man nodded and drew away, implying for Peter to leave first. Peter took a few steps before fully turning around and running- then skidded to a stop and started running back.

"What's your na..." the words trailed off as Peter looked across the bridge. Whoever he'd talked to was gone.

 _Strange guy._

He examined his surroundings uneasily.

 _Maybe I should start walking a different route._

 _..._

 _Strange kid._ The child was unsettlingly similar to Stark, albeit more unsure, and the thought of it made Loki uncomfortable.

 _Then again, what should one expect?_

Certainly not an encounter so soon, and one by accident. At least it seemed on accident, but one could never be too certain with the Avengers.

It seemed that since he'd last visited the Avengers had broken up. This was better for him, by all means. Divide and conquer.

 _Stop it_. Loki grimaced, staring up at the billowing clouds. _That's not why you're here._

It would be so easy, though. If Loki tried.

The truth was that Loki didn't have time to try, and he didn't particularly want to, not when Thanos was about to wreak havoc.

He'd rather stay out of the way where Thanos was concerned. He also knew, despite his self-lauding, that he wasn't nearly as strong as he used to be, and even then he wouldn't have dared to take Thanos on his own. If the Avengers were truly disbanded...

They were in greater peril than they knew.

Loki called a taxi, trying to figure out what to say- or who to appear as. As usual, he found the second issue easier to resolve than the first.

* * *

 **Second Disclaimer: I've never been to New York, so the direction and architecture of things is kind of wonky. Please bear with me on this *bear noises*.**

 **Moral of this chapter: Stranger Danger. Even if it turns out to be Loki. Especially if it turns out to be Loki.**

 **I'm really excited for Infinity War.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Thank you for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey! I'm pretty busy currently so I didn't have time to proofread this. If there are any grammar/continuity mistakes please let me know.**

 **Other than that, enjoy!**

* * *

"Hey, Mr. Stark. I just wanted to let you know that I was making sure no one's been messing with your place. I mean, you probably took measurements to enforce that. I mean-" Peter stopped himself before he sounded too much like an idiot. Mr. Stark would probably be more interested in the man he failed talking to. "Um, while I was walking over to your place- I mean, your old place- the Avengers' old place, I mean- there was this guy sitting on a bridge. He said he was an 'acquaintance of yours'. He was kind of strange, so just in case he's actually a villain in disguise or something, this is a heads up from your friendly neighborhood Spiderman." Now he definitely felt like an idiot. "Oh. He said he wanted to surprise you, so if he's actually an old buddy of yours, you could act surprised? I'll be back with more updates. Spiderman out."

Peter wanted to follow the man (not that he knew where the guy was at the moment, but maybe he could ask Karen to track his signal), but he knew he would end up breaking curfew, and his grades really needed a lift.

...

Loki got as close as he could before the taxi driver rumbled about government clearance and other things similar. Walking suited him better in these situations, anyways. He illusioned himself to look like a guard until he got within boundaries, where he then shed the false cover and strode to one of the glass doors. They were almost impossible to tell apart from numerous windows on the same side save for the slots to enter cards on surrounding walls. That wouldn't be an issue. He'd taken the kid's student identification card when he shook his hand. The door itself would be the trial.

Loki moved his hand cautiously through the doorway as the glass frames separated almost soundlessly. He'd tried walking through Stark Tower when he first came back to New York only to find that the system barred him from entering. Or, at least, had barred the magic in him from passing through some invisible barrier. No pain surged through his body, however, so he entered quietly. Either Stark was lithe to upgrade the system, or he no longer perceived Loki a threat.

 _Sorely mistaken._

 _Or possibly right._

He couldn't decide which mindset he wanted to carry, or which he wanted to be correct.

He only had a few minutes before Stark bounded down- any student, he supposed, would need to give forewarning before entering an Avengers facility. He had no idea which way was what, but he vaguely knew the general layout of mansions (which is what he supposed it resembled) so he went east, hoping his chance wouldn't be ruined by a nearby guard.

It was strange. Aside from the outer security, the mansion was practically devoid of governmental protection. Probably Stark's wish. The Tower had been much the same.

There was a stairway.

There were footsteps.

Loki had no place to hide.

Fortunately for Loki, to hide in plain sight was a more common move. The interactions with the child were all he had, but they would be enough. His objective wasn't to sneak past Stark, anyway.

Sooner or later, the mask had to come off.

Loki blinked with wide eyes as Tony Stark- looking more ragged than he remembered- gazed back at him in utter surprise. "Hey." He gave a confused gesture.

"Uh, h-hey, Mr. Stark." The boy looked more nervous than Loki actually felt. "You said I could come in, so…" Loki had just walked into territory he knew minimally about. He'd let Stark continue his thought.

Which Stark seemed inclined to do. His demeanor softened, muscles relaxing. "Yeah. Hey, why don't you come to my lab. There's new tech I've been working on."

Peter would indubitably be ecstatic, given how loyal he seemed. So his eyes lit up and some excited verbal response was given and Loki tried to make the bouncing backwards appear natural because the last thing he needed was Stark getting too close. Which Stark was. Every footfall seemed slated against him.

"Come on, it's this way. Maybe on the trip you could tell me why you seem to be off the…"

The moment Stark put his arm around Peter's shoulder, Loki knew he'd made a miscalculation. The illusion melted away.

For a full second, Tony simply _stared_. Then Tony recoiled, suit automatically building itself around him.

"Allow me to explain," Loki started.

"Yeah, I don't think so."

Two -no, three- distinct spots on Loki's body stung white-hot before dissolving his conscious to numbness.

 _Midgard anesthetic is strong_.

* * *

 **Moral of this chapter: Never pretend to be your (fr)enemy's favorite intern. Especially if your (fr)enemy is Tony Stark.**

 **I might possibly watch Infinity War this week! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**********Notice: I will be out of town for approximately three weeks. While I will endeavor to update it may not be on the mark. That being said, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**********

* * *

"Hey, kid."

"M-Mr. Stark? Hang on a min-" Peter muffled the receiving end of the phone and walked outside his doorway. "Hey, Aunt May? It's Mr. Stark. He just called, he's on the line..."

Aunt May met his view, wooden spoon balanced so it wouldn't drip whatever she'd been mixing. "What does he want?"

"I...don't know yet." He could practically see Aunt May thinking, and whatever it was, it probably wasn't that great. Her mouth squished down into a firm thin line, but her jaw continued to move. Her focus sharpened on Peter.

"Dinner's in six minutes. He better make it fast." She turned sharply and sped off. The pot was probably bubbling at the top. Peter moved his hand off the phone and pressed it up towards his mouth.

"Hey, Mr. Stark, um, we might not be able to talk much- I mean, now, of course, um, but, uh-"

"Why? Is something wrong? Do I need to come over?"

"What? No, no, it's nothing like that. It's just Aunt May is cooking dinner, and- um, I mean, you could come over if you wanted but I think she's still kind of angry, so..."

Peter heard what he thought might be a sigh of relief. "Hey, kid, it's fine. Listen, did anyone strange talk to you today?"

"Ned?"

"No, I mean strange, as in unusual."

"Oh. Oh yeah! There was this one guy. Said he wanted to surprise you but I guess he didn't realize that you'd moved upstate. Um..." He had sent the phone call, hadn't he?

"Great. Okay. Stay put tonight."

"Why, is something wrong?" Now Peter sounded like Mr. Stark. Which wasn't _bad_. Maybe the friend of Mr. Stark's got flagged with security.

Oh, man. He hadn't even thought to warn the guy.

"No, just...stay put. And if a guy says they know me, put it through with me first. I'm not a big fan of surprises."

Before Peter could stammer out a response, his phone screen flashed. Mr. Stark cut the line. Peter hoped he wasn't upset- well, too upset. He sounded upset. The thought settled ungracefully somewhere between Peter's stomach and chest.

"Peter? You done yet?" He wanted to go out and ask Mr. Stark about what went wrong- because something _had_ to have gone wrong, despite what Mr. Stark said- but he couldn't let down Aunt May. Not again. And Mr. Stark had told him to lay low. He was a multibillionaire genius, after all. He probably had it covered.

He suddenly realized that moving meant Mr. Stark probably got a new number. Peter _had_ sent the message; it didn't go through. He should have figured Mr. Stark would change numbers, moving to a new place and all. But Happy was supposed to give him Mr. Stark's new number if that was the case. Unless- unless Mr. Stark didn't want Peter to call him anymore-

"Peter?" He quickly stuffed his phone into his pocket, not realizing how tight his grip was until he felt the release of pressure and saw the hand that was holding it turn bone-white. He'd have to be more careful; a broken phone wouldn't help the mounting pile of things he needed to deal with.

"Hey, I'm here. Do you need some help...with...that...or, no, you're good." He gave a little laugh, he was so nervous.

...

The first thing Loki noticed was the absence of restraints from the waist upwards. Waist-down- well, that was another story. Chains linked his feet to the chair, feet to the floor, chair to the floor, and any other combination of the kind. But at least Stark had given him a chance.

"Brandy?" Loki gestured towards the cup between himself and his interrogator. He refrained, however, from taking it.

Tony shrugged. "I'm a man of my word."

A few seconds pause, then Tony pulled out the chair opposite and sat himself down. "Three questions. We'll go one at a time."

"If I may, telling you forthright what I'm here for might speed things up a bit."

Tony disregarded the thought with a sweep of his head. "You should have told me forthright when you broke into the mansion. That privilege is taken. By the way, if you're really here on good intentions- do me a favor and keep the kid out of this?"

"If he means that much to you, certainly." This was not helping Loki's case at all, but he couldn't keep the amusement out of his voice.

"I'm serious, if you did one thing to him, you would be dead." Something in Tony's expression came across as sincere; all amusement was gone. Turning this information over, Loki signaled for Stark to continue.

"Good. First things first, Thor told us you were dead, and he's not one to keep secrets."

"He didn't know I survived."

Tony leaned forwards. "By the way, where is your brother? It's out of sorts that he'd leave you here to roam freely."

The smile Loki gave in response seemed somewhat forced. "Perhaps we could answer that last."

Stark made a face but consented. "Okay, then, what are you doing here?"

Loki's face smoothed back to neutrality, but his eyes conveyed appreciation. "Finally. I-"

"You know what, I changed my mind. Other question first. Where's Thor?"

Loki stared at Stark in annoyance. Then he was resigned. "T-"

Tony cut him off- again. "There's no way to prove what you're saying. I could hook you up to some machine- they have those here, courtesy of S.H.I.E.L.D.- but who knows how reliable those things are. The point is-"

"I have a way to prove it." The words came through partly grit teeth.

"Really."

Loki moved the small glass of brandy and grabbed Stark's hand, clearly regretting every second of his decision. Stark glanced from his hand to Loki in alarm. "What are you doing?" He tried to pull away, but Loki's grip was like solid ice had frozen his arm in place.

Oh, Loki _very_ much regretted this. "I'm taking you inside my memories." He reoriented his grip so that both hands faced himself, then thrust Stark's palm to his forehead.

* * *

 **AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAVENGERSINFINITYWARWHY**

 ** **I watched the movie. I will try not to let it affect this story's plot, however.****

* * *

 ** **To the reviewers, thank you. It really means a lot.****

 ** **To those who follow/favorite/read this story in general, THANK YOU! I hope you enjoy it!****

* * *

 **Moral of this chapter: Superpowers or not, be honest. It's incredibly important.**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope to update soon!**

 ** **Oh, and have a good night!****


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys, Spiderman here. Mr. Stark hasn't been responding to my messages. If you see him, please tell him I've been laying low like he asked, y'know, give him a good word on my behalf kind of thing. Here's a _capítulo_ in the meantime (that means 'chapter' in Spanish). **

**Oh, and RelativeTheory has no copyright holdings on the MARVEL franchise. She hired me to write this.**

* * *

 _"_ _You have something I'm looking for."_ Loki cringed. "Wrong memory."

"No, I want to see this." It was almost as if they were in a movie theater- where the screen wrapped all around the room- except Tony could see and hear and almost feel all of it at once. Like a muted sixth sense, or empathy tuned way above its limit. If he looked to his right, he couldn't see Loki, which was strange, but otherwise it was pretty amazing.

At least, as long as it was temporary.

"I think it would be better if you learned things from the beginning."

Tony eyed wherever he heard Loki's voice coming from- hard- then consented. "Fine, but we're going back to this later."

"Good." Loki sounded almost relieved, quite the opposite of the emotion Tony sensed from the memory version of Loki, before the scene abruptly changed. Now Loki was walking up what must have been the Rainbow Bridge, fighting some weird alien creatures along the way-

"Wait. Thor lost an eye?"

"Yes."

"And suddenly you have another army to fight for you?"

"They were willing followers," Loki insisted.

"Of course they were. After some persuasion, right?"

"Would you like me to go back further?"

There was a pause as Tony processed the idea. "Sure. Let's go back to where Thor found out you weren't dead. Unless this is it."

"No, by this time we were mutually reacquainted." The scene shifted back to a brighter, fancier setting within Asgard. A few minutes passed before Tony outburst.

"Seriously?"

Loki seemed mildly irked. Tony took this as a sign to continue speaking.

"Look, I'm not even going to ask how you got the throne, but making up plays about yourself? _I_ don't do that, and I live three streets from Broadway."

Loki's voice was laced with menace. "Do you mean to tell me that my brother never explained how or why I died?"

Mild caution crept into Tony's phrasing. "He seemed very sad about it, but he kept the details vague."

Tony's words died as the memories changed sharply, almost like Loki had flung them.

"We'll start from the time I spent in Asgard, then." The snarl in Loki's voice was lethal. "Right after you so kindly sent me to prison."

...

"Awwww, no!" Rocket drew his paws over his eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you _not_ to relieve yourself on the carpet!"

"I am Groot."

"C'mon, buddy, I thought we worked past this."

"Did Groot just do what I think I heard you say he did?" Peter Quill took one of his earphones out.

"Not necessarily."

Starlord sighed. "I'm going to assume that's a 'yes'. Clean it up and stop lying to me, man. I don't want any more golden people following us around."

Gamora put her hands on her hips and stopped close behind Quill. "I don't think Groot going to the bathroom is going to affect the Sovereign's progress."

"Wait, _that's_ what he did?" Quill turned around, then looked back at Rocket. Groot was getting taller. "If he's going to mess up the carpet, he should mess it up in his own room. I don't want any distinguished guests turning away because they think we can't keep a hold of ourselves."

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA! YOU SAY THAT AS IF IT'S NOT A JOKE!" Drax had been shadowing behind Gamora for a while. Quill was peeved. A guy could dream, couldn't he?

Rocket set to work on cleaning up the mess, which was beginning to entrench. "Eh, it'll save us a lot of time. Why would we want distinguished guests around anyways? They probably don't like homemade bombs."

"No, they probably don't." Their ship had been wandering aimlessly for several days. Events were quiet, which was rare. Quill checked- yet again- to see if anything useful popped up on the holonet. Then he checked the news. "Seriously," he muttered. "It's like everyone's holding their breath."

"At least they're still breathing." Gamora settled herself in the chair that she'd specially positioned to see the rest of the room from. "Things are still shaken up from Ego."

Now he immersed himself in the increasingly strange but harmless articles.

"That was months ago."

"It was also a lot of planets." Some far etching in Gamora's mind told her Quill's feeling was probably right, and she couldn't figure out why. "Peter-"

"Whoa!" Now Quill turned to face his fellow Guardians and transfer whatever article he found onto the screen. "You've got to check this out."

"Do we have a job?" Rocket paused for a moment to look up.

"Well, no."

"Then why are bringing this up?" He shook his head and got back to work.

"Because it's cool."

"I am Groot."

"See, Groot agrees with me!"

"I am Groot."

"That's because he says it's easier to eat them when they're immobile."

Drax nodded wisely. "A very true statement."

Quill huffed, his disappointment evident. "Lizards dropping from tree branches is an irregular phenomenon where I come from." As if realizing something, he turned to the now-attempting-to-aid-Rocket Groot. "And since when do you eat meat?"

"Don't worry," Rocket answered. "It's a phase all Groots go through."

A Terran might describe Quill's immediate response as _freaked out_. He didn't let this show, though, and decided to reply with his own proposition- he'd realized something sudden, and when Starlord realizes something it's his tendancy to say it out loud.

"Guys? I want to go to Earth."

* * *

 **A FEW notes:**

 **Peter Quill will be mentioned as 'Starlord' or 'Quill' to avoid ay Spiderman/Peter Parker confusion.**

 ** **The article Quill read was based of off some articles from (I think) December 2017. Apparently it became so cold down in Florida that lizards would temporarily freeze. This caused many a lizard to lay stranded on the sidewalk or fall from a tree (and onto unsuspecting asserby).****

 ** ** ** ** ** **Moral of this chapter: Read the news. (I regret this advice already.)************

 ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **As always, please review/comment/criticize! Feedback is lovely.************************************

 ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **Thank you for reading!************************


	5. Chapter 5

Tony rubbed his face, willing the ache of it to leave.

"So you and Thor are...friends?"

He'd been in Loki's mind for what felt like hours.

"Don't act like it's so hard to believe."

"I just mean, it's..." Tony trailed off as he took in Loki's glare (he couldn't actually see it, but the intensity of the silence was strong enough that he realized the subject was touchy). "Fine, carry on with whatever you have next."

He didn't have to ask. A ship- an incredibly large ship- so large it practically engulfed Thor's, descended upon them. The scene flashed, and Thor, with Loki at his side, walked up the gangway.

It seemed like something was off, but Tony almost missed it, and he would have- if it weren't for the fact that he could feel every emotion flashing through Loki's mind.

Thor looked concerned, but guarded, his right hand tightening to a fist which wasn't yet used to being without Mjolnir. Which was as much as could be expected of him. It was Loki's expression that struck Tony as odd.

 _I'm not overly fond of what follows._

It was the same face Loki had before Thor took him from the quinjet.

As if he knew who the ship belonged to.

Loki's dread washed over Tony like a cold drenching mist.

.

They'd almost begun to cycle into Earth's solar system. Loki let himself finally believe he and Thor could be brothers- just like the old days. Like he'd wanted. He knew he suspended his belief, but he thought he could have at least had more than an hour.

His expectations concerning Thanos were far too high.

The moment Thanos brought his personal ship with him, Loki knew they were doomed. He also knew that Thor wouldn't realize the extent of their doom until it was too late. The Asgardians would die, regardless of anything Thor could do, and Loki would watch him destroyed. Then would come Loki's turn, and Loki could not let that happen.

The worst part was that Loki had brought it upon them all. The tesseract was the only way he could think of escaping Asgard before Ragnarok fell. He knew doors opened on both sides, but he hadn't realized how much Thanos wanted it until the moment his ship appeared.

If Loki played his hand rightly, he might find a way- at least for him and Thor- to survive.

If it were only that easy.

"I believe you have what I'm looking for."

Loki did have to admit that Thanos held a keen sense for flair. Punching Thor through space with the infinity gauntlet was incredibly intimidating. Banner was next, flung across however many stars and rocks appeared between him and Earth. Then all the Asgardians were frightened- and most of them dead.

"I have a gift," Loki said, hopelessly bartering and trying to pull off the notion that he wasn't.

Thanos sneered. "If you have what I want, you'll find me." He paused. "If you don't, I'll find you."

He sauntered back to his spaceship and dismantled the electric field keeping the two of their aircrafts conjoined.

Now Loki was left with a critically impaired ship while trying to figure whether Thor would survive. He heard the wispy rasp of a moan.

From any indication, most Asgardians could breathe in space. It was the cold that seemed to destroy them. He needed to land.

"Valkrie."

"You...traitor." Valkrie coughed. "You really are a lackey."

"Yes, and it would do you and Asgard well to pay attention." He had little time to argue. "Now, where is the nearest wormhole?"

"Running back to Sakaar already?"

"Just answer the question." He ground the words out of his mouth.

Valkrie spat in his general direction.

"Do you want their blood on your ledger as well?!"

There was a pause.

Valkrie pushed herself slowly upright. "You're calling your and my honor on navigation skills."

"It's a better opportunity than leaving what's left of Asgard to freeze."

She thought over it.

"Try the west."

"Navigation skills indeed," he growled, but quickly left to pilot. Thanos was strong, and if the legend was true, six stones would make him unstoppable.

Loki had only counted two stones in the gauntlet when Thanos punched Thor. Thor wasn't enough, but he also wasn't the only hero in the galaxy.

Loki needed to find the Avengers.

...

It was around the time some alien started punching Avengers into space that Loki's memory began to fuzz from the outside edges and Tony began to feel like his eyebrows were singed. By the time the alien turned to face them- Loki, really, but Tony was watching- everything was blocked by a wall of thick glass. Sense of sense deteriorated until Tony's hand was shoved back and all at once he was shocked into the real world.

The weight of gravity pushed him into his chair, where he thankfully didn't fall over. He saw- vaguely- one of Loki's hands grip the table, and another reach up to steady his head.

"Believe me," he said. "Whatever you're experiencing, I have it worse." His arm missed and a brandy-colored vial went skidding off the table with a crash, although to Tony it sounded no louder than a tinkle. The effects of Loki failing to prop himself up, though, _that_ Tony felt. If the table wasn't bolted down, he was almost sure it would have flipped from the sheer force of Loki's head.

They sat there for a moment.

"Friday?" Tony called, wisely realizing some backup would be needed. "I think this session is over."

* * *

 **Some explanation for a (minor?) detail: The first time I watched Thor: Ragnarok I didn't realize that Loki took the Grandmaster's ship to leave Asgard (if you look near the end of the movie, you'll see the Grandmaster's ship on the top of the escape ship). I thought he just...sort of ran to the special artifact hallway and had no escape plan, which is why this fanfiction has a different explanation: having no way out, Loki uses the tesseract to move through space (since the tesseract can generate portals) and onto Thor's ship. However, Thanos notices the energy signal from the Tesseract's usage and goes to get his infinity stone.**

 ** **Moral of this chapter: Don't make deals with angry titans. It usually doesn't end well.****

 **Thank you all for reading!** **Sorry about the chapter delay.**

 **Reviews are most welcome.**


	6. Chapter 6

**This is more of a transition chapter. Expect tie-ups and lead-ins. Enjoy!**

* * *

"What? Quill, c'mon! Earth is way out of our league." Rocket leaned back in his chair, arms crossed.

"It's not that far away if we leave soon." Quill was already gearing coordinates and coordinating the steering mechanisms.

"That's not what I meant. You could probably pass but the rest of us aren't even human. How do you expect us to fit in?!"

Busy between controls and the windshield, Quill didn't look behind him. He found out the hard way that it was dangerous to navigate while disregarding his surroundings-mainly, what his ship was driving into. "I'm sure that Earth has seen stranger things. It has been almost 35 years since I left."

"I am Groot."

"Thank you." Quill nodded appreciatively in Groot's direction.

"Oh, _now_ he inserts himself into the conversation. I thought you were supposed to be on my side."

"I am Groot."

"Yeah, they have great video games. Much better than the trash you play."

Groot sulked at the insult and kept playing his game.

"I am Groot."

"He says he wants to terrorize the lizards. For the last time, Groot, it's not good for your diet." Rocket looked back. "I'm sure Drax agrees with me. Right, Drax?"

Drax watched the stars pass by through the main window, obviously deep in thought. "Is Earth filled with people like you, Quill?"

"Yes. Same as any other planet." Quill steered the spacecraft into position.

Drax shook his head decidedly, just as deeply. "I know many planets not filled with people like you."

Gamora spoke abruptly. "Rocket has a point."

 _That_ caused Quill to look back. "What?"

Rocket quickly got over his shock and threw up his hands . "Somebody finally agrees!"

Quill felt betrayed. "Gamora!"

"Hey, if this fine lady has enough sense to agree with me here, then you should listen to her."

Gamora ignored the raccoon. "Thanos had dealings with Earth in the past."

Now that was new to Quill. "What? Since when?"

"For them, about 8 years ago. Listen, Earth doesn't get a lot of outer traffic, and I don't think humans will take kindly to another intrusion."

"It didn't make the news?" Quill was still reeling.

"Thanos knows how to keep himself off-alert." Gamora's cheekbones pulsed, the only sign of her dislike for the subject. "Besides, he failed. The person he put in charge couldn't finish the job."

"What happened?"

"Someone threw a missile at the life support and his...resources...combusted." Gamora's tone grew bitter, and Quill knew it wasn't because of the failure.

He thought for a moment and started slowly. "If the bad alien experience is all they've got, what kind of experience is that? I want to introduce them to what the galaxy has to offer. You know, the best parts."

Rocket stared at Quill- well, his back, anyways- incredulously. "You think we're really qualified for that?" Quill was too caught up in his growing excitement to hear.

"Alright." Quill looked at the star-map. "If we leave now, we have the quickest route to Earth's system. If you really want, I can drop you off at the Nova Core until I come back."

Drax more-or-less summed the rest of the crew's mood. "Nova Core stinks."

Mantis popped out from somewhere. "Who is Nova Core?"

"And if something else comes up along the way, we'll stop. We're still the Guardians of the Galaxy." Quill looked back at Gamora and softened. "Deal?"

Gamora's cheekbones pulsed again, but she figured that if he was set on going to Earth she could just stay on the ship until they re-entered outer orbit.

"Deal."

"Great!" Quill finished his coordination and pushed the handle to its highest speed.

It was an uneasy feeling enough _before_ they crashed.

"AUGH!" Quill smashed the button to stop all movement and ran out of his pilot's seat, seeing immediately who had caused it.

There was a man lying on the windshield, frost formed around the glass beneath his face _._

He was alive.

...

"Any signs of anything, Jarvis?" As soon as Tony said it he knew he'd said something wrong. "Sorry, Vision. Vision. Sorry." Tony was tired, but it was no excuse.

Vision, who was hovering, moved down to Tony's level. "Apology is quite accepted. No signs as of last night up to now or the day before. No major physical movement, still in a sleeping stage." He drew closer, quieter. "Are you sure he should be here? I performed a body scan on you as well and it appears you have been through serious mental duress."

"Wouldn't be the first time." Tony rubbed his face. "Listen...Vision, I think I'm going to try to go out today. Keep watch for me, will you? If he wakes up, let me know. If he moves, let me know. If you need anything, let me know."

"I will. Where do you plan to head to?"

"I don't know." Tony leaned against the doorframe. "I heard a friend was in town, maybe I'll be able to find him."

"Speaking of friends, Miss Potts inquired after you yesterday. I told her you were indisposed at the moment. It might be best to talk to her when you can."

"Right. Thanks, Vision." Tony pushed himself off the doorframe, blinked, met Vision's eyes. "And you're doing alright?"

Vision's eyes crinkled in concern and bemusement. "I think that should be my question to you, Mr. Stark."

"Fair enough." Tony nodded and started walking down the hall, hand against the wall. With his other he waved.

Vision watched until Tony left the hallway, making sure to keep thermal and cardiovascular tabs on Loki all the while.

Upon flying back inside he coordinated with the private mansion system to make sure Tony couldn't leave without being offered at least 4 or 5 canes. Vision was excellent with multitasking.

* * *

 **Moral of this chapter: America is a great country. U.S.A.! *patriotism everywhere***

 **If you've been sticking around with this story, thank you! Thank you so much. I'm seriously grateful for all of you.**

 **Have a wonderful day!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Well.**

 **This is just a chapter of Peter Parker and Ned. Some fun stuff, hopefully. **Also the final chapter of the 'first act' of this fic.****

 ** **Enjoy!****

* * *

Peter had a Saturday morning routine he liked to follow. Sleep in, shield his eyes from the sunlight if it graced his bed (his eyes dilated too much while he slept sometimes) or stare at it if it shone on the floor. Sometimes he predicted how long it would take for the beam to move significantly. Then he would get dressed and check his phone. Most Saturday mornings garnered a rambling text from an too-late-up Ned, which Peter would then build a hypothetical schedule around (most times it was altered due to lurking variables). He'd do a lot of other things, then, usually in no set order, involving food and personal hygiene and saying hi to Aunt May. It was a lazy Saturday schedule which he abruptly woke out of once Mr. Stark sent him the voicemail.

He sounded tired. _Really_ tired. A knot of jumbled nervousness danced on Peter's upper abdomen.

"Hey. If you see anyone by Stark Tower, give me a call. If you see an Avenger, keep your eyes on them at all times. Code Egg is extended to all affiliations.

"Also, keep an eye out for Thor. He might look a bit different. Shorter hair. Lost an eye. Doesn't have his hammer anymore. Direct any notice to Happy. I'm trying to deal with something at home."

Peter hoped that the 'something at home' didn't have to do with him (it probably did). He was familiar with Code Egg, though. He was supposed to report on any renegade Avenger he saw; that was, any Avenger involved in the large Sokovia Accords Battle. Peter was mostly involved because he invented the code name.

He couldn't watch all angles of Stark Tower all the time. Peter cut out of the rest of his voicemails (all 18 of them) and switched to Contacts so he could give Ned a call.

Or at least, that was his abruptly cut-short plan for the rest of the morning. He only got as far as the 'cutting out of Voicemails' part.

 _You have 72 missed text messages_.

 _You have 1 missed Facetime._

 _Arachnid alert: READ YOUR MESSAGES_

The last one was a specially programmed alerting system from Ned. Which meant that all of the other alerts were from Ned, too. Peter had a bad, sinking realization which burned his face in mortification when he checked his call history.

Beneath the 18 missed phone calls and an unknown number was his update call that he meant for Mr. Stark. He had sent the voicemail, he really had, but not to Mr. Stark who had the same phone number because of course he'd have the same phone number because he _literally makes phones_.

He'd sent the voicemail to Ned.

Just as quickly as he realized this awful mistake and tried to calm down by hyperscrolling through all the missed texts the doorbell rang.

Aunt May called from her room. "Just ignore it!"

A new text sent him back to the bottom.

' _I'm here._ '

 _What?!_ Peter finally scrambled through some of the words Ned sent.

' _I'm here.'_

 _'_ _I'm on my way.'_

 _'_ _Pete, you need your guy in the chair.'_

 _'_ _Are you okay? Did aliens abduct you? Was it that weird guy who wanted a surprise?'_

 _'_ _Peter? Earth to Pete?'_

 _'_ _Hey man! Figured you'd be up by now.'_

 _'_ _If you don't pick up by tomorrow, I'm coming over and checking on you.'_

 _'_ _!'_

 _'_ _E'_

 _'_ _D'_

 _'_ _U'_

 _'_ _D'_

 _'_ _dude dude dude dude'_

 _"Dude* hah"_

 _"DUEEEEE"_

 _"Dude."_

 _'_ _Pick up your phone!'_

 _'_ _Seriously.'_

 _'_ _I mean it.'_

 _'_ _I'm not going to stop until you pick up your phone.'_

The doorbell was incessantly ringing.

"It better not be a solicitor." Aunt May threw the door open to reveal an unassuming Ned.

"Hey, Ms. Parker, I was wondering whether Peter was home."

Aunt May stared for a while before clearing her throat.

"Yeah, he's in his room. Come on in."

Ned ambled in and Aunt May whacked him with a newspaper.

"Aah!"

"And don't ring the bell like that again!"

"Oh." Ned looked sheepish. "Sorry, Ms. Parker."

Peter was standing outside his door with a very similar expression. "Hey, Ned."

...

"So, by the look on your face I'll take it that you didn't read my texts." Ned rubbed his head while Peter closed the door.

"Um, Ned, about the voicemail-"

"Yeah! So I know that the voicemail wasn't meant for me but DUDE! That sounds serious! Do you think that guy who said he knew Tony Stark was waiting for you? I've put it upon myself to scout all the possible areas he might show up in if you meet him again and I've narrowed it down to six. Also I'm guessing you didn't notice your mistake since you missed all of my messages but WE'LL GET YOU THROUGH THIS because it's okay. We're all okay. Mr. Stark knows what he's doing. Oh and I noticed that you called Tony Stark instead of Happy Hogan does this mean you're on a one-to-one speaking basis now or does he not respond? If he does respond do you think I would be able to meet him too? Because that would be SO COOL my bad my bad getting off topic." Ned looked away with a pause. Given that this was probably the only opportunity he'd have to respond, Peter took the moment.

"Okay yes Ned I have received multiple messages from Tony Stark and I think that the guy was up to trouble or something because Mr. Stark left a voicemail early this morning and told me to look out for Thor which means that I need to keep a watch on the old Avengers tower because that's probably where he'd visit and I don't know if he's upset or not but Happy Hogan hasn't contacted me which means that we're still on a one-to-one basis and I can't believe that you already scouted all the possible locations; you're the best guy-in-the-chair EVER but I don't think I can get you a meeting with him sorry he doesn't usually talk this much to me."

Ned's mouth was open for a moment. "I can't believe that you've been tasked with finding Thor; that is the coolest thing I've ever heard."

Peter raised his eyebrows. "Dude, you have to help me find him."

Which was the coolest thing Ned had ever heard.

* * *

 **Moral of this chapter: Doorbells are not meant to be misused.**

 **Sidenote: I also realized that last chapter's moral has almost nothing to do with the chapter. It was related before I edited the story, I promise. There was a scrapped idea-joke on Quill asking Gamora whether it was the U.S. or the USSR that shot the missile...because he left Earth before the Cold War ended and potentially has no idea what happened since then. Gamora, in turn, was annoyed at another reference she didn't get. Is this enough cause to give an extra-patriotic moral? I guess it doesn't matter, since the moral's still there. HA!**

 **Ha.**

 **Thank you for reading. Have a grand night and may God bless you all.**


	8. Chapter 8

_**Excelsior!**_

* * *

"RAUUGHHHH!" As soon as Quill touched ground the man- as if by some feral instinct- ripped away and put a heady space between himself and the Guardians. He eyed them suspiciously.

"We're the Guardians of the Galaxy." Drax nodded at him, as if he had taken some part in the rescue, and Mantis waved, perhaps to calm him down.

The man looked like he didn't really understand.

"The question is," Rocket added (somewhat callously), "who are you?" He crossed his arms and gave him a fixed stare. He didn't hold it for long; the man's eye- or lack thereof- somehow gave him an unsettled feeling.

"Where are the others?" The man stood his ground, the veins on his cheek pulsing. The cold of space was nowhere near to wearing off on him. "Where is the ship? Where is Thanos?" His voice grew louder with each sentence, but the last word he visibly enraged at. He also noticed its response.

"You..." His eye narrowed.

"Thanos was after your ship?" Gamora held empathy. And concern. "Why?"

"Why else." All of the delayed tiredness came on him at once. "He's searching for the infinity stones."

"But none of the people out there have them."

Thor studied Mantis for a brief moment, turned around, noticed for the first time the total and annihilating wreckage. Walked up to the window. Stayed there.

"I hoped there would have been some remnant left." His voice was quiet. The silence that followed was so great that the Guardians almost missed his next statement: "We need to find them before he does."

"One of the stones is at Nova Core. I'll set the coordinates." Quill began walking towards the pilot's seat.

"Which stone?"

"The...purple one." Quill couldn't help but shoot him a look.

"He has it."

Gamora's tone became tinged with dread. "If he has a stone already-"

"He has two." Thor finally turned away from the window. There was a deadness in his gaze.

"He'll find the others eventually."

"Not if we find them first."

Thor glanced up at Quill. "There's a team of defense that I know of on Earth called the Avengers. Have you heard of them?"

Quill cocked his head sideways. "No."

But Gamora had. "They're still around?"

"Of course." Thor's eyebrows furrowed. "They had better be."

Switching topics, he finally managed to pull himself away from the window. "They have a stone within their keep- the mind stone. Thanos will be wanting of it."

"How do you know all of this?"

Thor's eye glinted for the first time since Quill picked him up. "I'm one of their group. Thor."

Quill nodded slowly and hesitantly patted Thor's shoulder. "Call me Starlord." He thought for a moment. "So we're headed for Earth?"

Gamora spoke for the rest of the group, the gravity of the situation made plain through her voice. "We have to."

Quill rechecked his coordinates and pushed the thrust again forward, hoping the route would work without mishaps- or further destruction.

Thor wasn't looking at Starlord, exactly. He wasn't really looking at anything.

"Direct it for New York."

Thor, exhausted, found a supporting rim and slid to the floor against it. He was unconscious for most of the trip.

...

"Hello?" The door was old and strange. Not stranger than the giant hole in the roof, per se, but still strange. It was too old and well-kept for the area. Minus the giant hole.

"Hello? Mail recipient. Here to pick up a big green former Avenger." Funny how the news hadn't snatched upon this yet. Tony had to scrounge the location from some social media post that received more-than-minimum views.

If the person inside wasn't going to answer, Tony would answer for him. He opened the door- _opened the door_ \- it wasn't even locked- and walked in. The damage was obvious from that point.

"Bruce, you've made a mess of the place." He started walking up to peer inside but stopped when a distinct creak resounded behind him.

"Oh. Hello."

There was a...cosplayer? Some guy with a cloak and a special amulet-thing looking at Tony as if he was the weird one in this situation. Maybe he was. The house overall was a secluded bubble of un-New York-ness.

"I tried to give you a house call, but nobody answered."

"And that gives you the right to go trespassing all over historic property?" The stranger's eyebrow raised.

"Listen, I don't think we've met. I'm Tony-"

"I know who you are. I've been watching you meddle with things you don't know the power of for quite some time now."

Tony started to get a little unnerved. Not by the word themselves, perhaps, but the way he said them. With such finality. He took a step closer for a handshake. "And you are?"

The man didn't offer a hand to respond. "Dr. Steven Strange."

Tony grit his teeth, but Friday got the information with or without his fingerprints (and cordial politeness). He blinked. "You probably know why I'm here."

"I do." Strange's unwavering neutrality- tone, face, stance- was the worst thing about him. To Tony, it meant the lack of imagination. It also made him harder to read as a person, but Tony didn't plan on staying long.

Strange continued, "What I would like to know is whether you have a plan once we've finished business."

"I've learned that most of my plans don't work out. Better to work on the fly." Tony gave a quick grin that presented all teeth and no smile. "Now if you don't mind, there's someone I need to see."

"As you wish." Strange did some weird circles with his hands, and the circles made (plasma?) circles that glowed, and then Tony was in another room altogether making sure he'd gotten it recorded to examine what had just happened.

He had no idea how he'd done it, but in a strange sort of way, it made sense.

The man in the cloak had done magic. He'd found a way to formulate portals, and as infuriating as he was, what he'd done was extremely impressive.

But none of that mattered because Tony got his bearings, and the first person he noticed was Bruce, who- after the initial shock- put down his tea.

"Hey, Tony."

* * *

 **Please review.**

 **Moral of this chapter: Waving at a stranger will either make them lower their guard or become _very_ confused. Or both. Depends on the wave. **

**(To those in the U.S.,) Happy Thanksgiving!**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9

Tony's throat went dry. "Bruce," he rasped.

Bruce looked down self-consciously. "What? I can't look that bad."

Tony advanced. "Where have you been? It's been..." He put out a hand, hesitantly, then clapped Bruce's shoulder. "It's good to have you back."

Bruce shook his head. "Yeah, you'd think that until you heard the news I'm bringing. Remember Ultron?" Tony grimaced as Bruce continued. "He was after one of what are called infinity stones – Thor warned us about them way back when, remember?" Bruce spoke frantically. "And now it turns out that this guy named Thanos has been searching for these infinity stones all along. Tony, _he_ was behind that havoc in New York. Remember? Chitauri army? Loki? They were only his pawns!"

"Bruce, I remember," Tony said, alarmed. Half of his mind was focusing on trying to calm Bruce down, while the other half was being pushed into overdrive. "Vision's my roommate, so we're not in oblivion yet."

"Vision? How's Vision doing?"

Tony snuck a glance at Strange, who was watching him intently.

"Vision's fine." He lowered his voice. "Bruce, do you know this guy?"

"Not really."

Tony frowned in suspicion, then brought his voice back to a regular level and faced Strange. "Well, you've been a great host. Many thanks upon you and your friend there-" He gestured towards Wong, who shared a certain look with Strange. It was the kind of look Tony tried to avoid. He decided to speed his words in the hopes of counteracting it. "But if you could just portal us back out the door, I'm going to have a check-in with the Doc for a bit."

Strange let off a small bemused smirk. "I am the Doc."

Tony gave him a once-over, then shrugged it off. "So is Dr. Banner. Really Bruce, you should see what I've done with the place, I've moved upstate and everything."

"Tony Stark." There it was. "You mentioned that you were in possession of a certain infinity stone."

Tony knew there was little-to-no chance in getting out of the conversation Strange had started, but tried to deflect it regardless. "Yeah, I've upgraded from my rock collection."

"Tony, this isn't funny. Thanos means serious business, and Dr. Strange has one, too. He can help." Tony followed where Bruce was pointing to a glowing amulet Strange wore.

"Having a stone doesn't make you particularly trustworthy," Tony muttered.

Strange eyed him severely. "I'd say the same about you."

"Tony, Strange is the guardian of the time stone. It might be worthwhile if-"

"If Vision dropped by for a visit and then never left? Banner, how long have you known this guy?" Bruce's glasses slid down his nose ever so slightly - great, Strange even gave him glasses, seriously, how long had Bruce been in this mansion, like, an hour (unless Strange warped time or something, which technically, he could have done, which would have made him a totally untrustworthy user of an infinity stone, so there)? - a sign that he was slightly embarrassed.

"And how long have you known me?"

Before Tony could really get going, though, Bruce cut him off.

"It's not about picking sides, Tony. It's about stopping Thanos before it's too late. He needs six stones to do..." Bruce frowned.

"What?"

"Well, I'm not sure exactly what he's going to do, but it won't be good. He practically tore Thor's ship apart, and if he gets the full set he'll be unstoppable."

"He tore a spaceship without the help of any stones?"

Bruce shook his head. "He had two already." The situation aligned perfectly with the one from Loki's memories, and it freaked Tony out.

Strange grimaced, unaware of what Tony was thinking, apparently. "From what Banner told me, he wasn't even using them at full force. Thanos is waiting until he receives maximum opportunity to release the stones' potential. As your friend said, I am the guardian of the time stone, and I resolve thus to protect it at any cost. I doubt you will do the same with yours, but I will suggest you do so regardless."

"Unfortunately, Vision can't make it because he's hosting some very important business of mine at the moment, but even if he could-"

Strange cut in. "What business is possibly so important that Vision can't be brought over for a few hours of time?"

"Even if he could, it's not my call, it's Vision's call, and it's not even his call anymore, it's the UN's call. By the way, is that item registered? I don't think I've noticed a time stone in the alien object archives."

Strange bristled, but Bruce looked confused. "Tony? What are you talking about?"

At that moment a wave of exhaustion hit Tony at full force. He staggered, then put all of his weight onto the cane. Vision had been right in offering it to him.

By now even Strange was watching him in concern, but Tony focused on breathing and answering Bruce's question. "A lot's happened since you left, Bruce, and it's sort of...the Avengers' fault."

Bruce waited for Tony to say more, then filled the stretching silence with, "But you fixed it, right?"

Tony grimaced involuntarily. "I guess you could say that. But fixing it broke the Avengers."

"Broke? Like..."

"Like we broke up. Disassembled. All of that. What's left of the Avengers is under the dominion of the United Nations, only to be used if they decide its necessary. So I'm semi-retired now, sort of."

"I don't believe this." Bruce shook his head again. "You're saying that the Avengers aren't a thing anymore."

"Come on, Bruce, there's still Vision and I, Nat-"

"Tony, that's not enough."

"It's not like we can make Steve and the others change their minds."

"They'll change their minds when they hear about this. They have to. Where's Steve?"

"I...don't know."

Bruce ran both hands through his hair. "Is there any way to reach him?"

Tony hesitated. "There is one."

Bruce stopped and looked at Tony. "Use it, then."

Tony slowly brought out the phone. "I..."

Bruce sighed in what was probably annoyance. "I'll do it." He took the phone form Tony- noticing the lack of resistance that came with it- flipped open to search for the contacts, and called.

He looked sideways, once, back at Tony, while the phone began to ring.

Two rings.

Three rings.

"Listen Steve, it's Bruce."

* * *

 **Please review! I hope this chapter's up to snuff - I haven't looked it over much - but whether it's not or is, feel free to tell me what you think of it!**

 **Also, yes, there is only one piece/perspective instead of two; I think I'll tend towards that more from now on just so I'll be able to update more often (that's the plan at least).**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	10. Chapter 10

Loki woke up to a wrong-colored sky. It was only after a moment that he realized it wasn't so much sky as it was ceiling, and a high one at that (nowhere nearly as high as those on Asgard, but granted much higher than what he'd woken to for the last few years).

Loki pushed himself up, examining his surroundings. The room was relatively devoid of knick-knacks - rug on the floor, cabinet and closet, all imbued with a monochromatic scheme. A video camera hung out from near a corner of the wall, and Loki wasn't sure whether it was meant to be a warning or a ploy. But the door was closed.

Loki found himself relaxing. Stark hadn't kicked him out. Yet.

An android flew out of the wall. Loki's eyes widened as his completely-off reflexes flailed him about the bed. Scrambling, Loki poised himself to a position that would give him more leverage if he needed to bolt. The android offered him a smile.

"I'm glad to see you're awake. How do you feel?"

Still on guard, Loki examined the creature. His expression seemed sincere, although his build suggested he was strong in combat. Perhaps he was similar to Thor. Except, Loki reasoned, smarter.

"Well enough if you don't sneak up on me again." Loki actually did feel surprisingly alright. He had a minor headache, but considering the amount of magic he'd used, he figured he would have been in a much worse position.

"I was tasked by Mr. Stark to watch you throughout your recovery." Following Loki's note of confusion, the android continued. "It has been approximately 32 hours since your interrogation."

"What's occurred between now and then?" Loki didn't take his eyes off of the creature. "And how should I address you?"

"Mr. Stark has spent his time recovering, although he is away from the mansion at the present moment. You have exhibited relatively little activity. My name is Vision." Vision gave off an expression Loki couldn't quite discern. He was still floating, too. "Mr. Stark has placed you under house arrest, but the rules of hospitality still apply. Your data has been incorporated into the system; it will restrict and grant you access to select areas of the mansion."

"I see," said Loki dryly. He had to admit, however, it was a much better turnout than he could have hoped for.

"Mr. Stark also requested that you change into something less conspicuous before exiting the room. He's provided you some options." Vision gestured to the closet with a hint of a smile, and Loki grimaced. Figuring Stark's sense of humor, he'd have difficulty finding anything that adhered to his tastes. "Is there anything I can get for you?"

Loki shook his head slightly, then paused, flustered for asking. "Perhaps some, ah...beverage?"

Vision didn't seem to mind. "Of course." He phased through the wall, and Loki noticed an odd peculiarity. When Vision returned only moments later and it repeated, Loki sat completely upright. Loki could tell Vision noted his change in demeanor, but if his eyes didn't fault him, he had much larger problems. He flinched as Vision floated closer - almost to the floor - and handed him the glass.

Loki glanced down, then warily took it. Again, Vision let off some indiscernible expression. "Is there an issue?"

"What's that in your head?"

Vision hesitated, then slowly touched the yellow gem. It glowed the same as it had when he'd passed through the wall. "This is the source of my power." He hesitated again. "I believe you are familiar with it; you harnessed it through the form of a spear when Avengers and you first met."

Loki's mouth dried. "Yes, I suppose I'm familiar with it."

Vision floated high enough to be out of reach; he suspected that part of it was to deter Loki from studying the gem further. "I'll alert Mr. Stark about your health. I'm sure he'll be wanting to meet with you. Oh, yes, and- please do look through the closet. I assure you not all of the choices are bad." Vision paused, forming some executive decision. "I'll leave you to get changed."

Loki still eyed him, alert. "Thank you."

Vision left the way he came - through the wall - and Loki's stomach plummeted as the familiar sense of dread washed over him.

Vision had the mind stone. More importantly, Loki knew the mind stone's location. His half-formed hopes had crashed with a single recognition.

Loki quickly removed himself from the bed, running over his options. Stark had no idea why he was on Midgard. He was fairly sure that they hadn't made it to that point in their discussion. For all Stark knew, Loki had been flung like Thor.

But Stark was smart and would also know that he was missing information. Loki physically couldn't re-distribute that much magic until he'd fully recovered, meaning Stark would need to get his answers some other way. But Loki also hadn't gone to Stark's with the intent to betray him.

He'd thought that Stark got rid of the infinity stones. He didn't expect-

But it didn't matter what he expected, now. It just mattered that he knew, and one way or another, Thanos would know he knew.

Loki ripped open the closet doors and thumbed through his clothes. Vision was wrong; they were all equally terrible.

Doors opened on both sides.

He had some excuse for being startled by the mind stone, given his past connection, and he was startled to see it. But now he realized that Vision might have scanned him, and if he had used the mind stone to do so...

Loki took a hanger with one of the less-distasteful articles on it, swept a look around the room, and decidedly shaved another percent from his already low reserve of magic to blow the security camera dead.

He held out his hand. Summoned from its hiding spot, the Tesseract shone a decidedly unnatural blue.

Vision had to have known.

* * *

 **And the plot thickens...**


	11. Chapter 11

"For the last time, I strongly suggest you convene in this house."

"Yeah, and for the last time, your suggestions mean nothing to me. Stark Mansion is more secure and I don't want you getting involved in the kerfuffle that's bound to happen when Steve Rogers shows up."

"If Steve Rogers comes to your mansion it'll be swarming with government officials."

"Guys! Please!" Bruce shielded his ear. "Sorry Steve, we're in a bit of a disagreement here."

Dr. Strange lowered his voice. "I'm not inviting you here because I want you here." He gave Tony a piercing stare, and the fringe of his cloak slapped around him, turbulent. He spoke his next words slowly. "I'm allowing you to stay for the sake of reality."

Tony paused a moment, thinking. Then he backed off as if he'd never considered a different possibility. "You know what, you're right! Let's meet here. I just hope you don't mind the baggage that comes with them."

There was a small silence; the snap of Steve's flip phone ended it. Both of the men turned towards the sound.

"Alright," Bruce sighed, hand wrapped around the phone, knuckles growing white. "I told him to meet us here as soon as he could."

Strange appeared surprised, if only slightly.

"Did you tell him the address?"

"He said he got a reading on the phone's location and would track that."

The silence that followed got to one beat before Tony abruptly cut it. "Well then, I'd better go get the android." He turned for the door. "You coming with, Bruce?"

"I can make a sling ring right now to retrieve your stone," Strange offered.

"Nope, we'll pass. I don't want any of your portals touching my property."

"I...uh, actually need to talk to Stephen about something." Bruce shrugged apologetically. "I'll meet up with you in a minute."

Tony looked from one to the other, suspicious almost to the point of incredulity, before opening and exiting through the mansion's main door. But Bruce came out like he'd said - a minute later.

As soon as the car door closed, Bruce started talking. "Tony, what's going on here?"

"Besides teaming up with Steve Rogers again to stop Thanos? Not much."

It was the signature sarcastic nonchalance he recognized, but the way Tony said 'Thanos' unsettled Bruce.

"Well," Tony added, now losing the sarcasm, "I also officiated some wedding plans."

"For you?"

"Yeah, me and Pep."

"Oh. Congrats! Send Pepper my regards."

"Will do, Bruce."

"...But that can't be what's bothering you." He wouldn't let it go. He couldn't. It seemed too important.

Tony turned a corner. "Bruce, I told you-"

"Yeah, and you still act like there's something you don't want to bring up. Come on."

Tony paused. When he spoke again he was quiet, like he was choosing and checking each word.

"There's someone at the mansion you might recognize, and I'd rather not have Cap coming in until I've worked out all the kinks. Which means we're on a very tight schedule."

Bruce could tell Tony knew he wanted to ask further, but as they rolled into the driveway, Bruce decided to wait it out.

Tony gestured widely. "What do you think of the layout?" He walked up to one of the indistinguishable glass panels. "I've got a new and expanded lab inside, too. Even a separate one for S.H.I.E.L.D so they won't mess ours up."

Bruce swept his gaze around the front yard. "I guess it's nice to be closer to the ground." It wasn't the answer Tony wanted, he knew. But Tony didn't seem to take much notice to it.

Rather, he opened the door and let Bruce walk in, steering him towards a pristine white hall. "First things first, we'll check you out. If diagnostics prove trustworthy, we can talk."

"What about the other person?" Bruce craned his neck around to get a glimpse at Tony. "The someone at the mansion?"

Tony was busying himself with setting up the scanning procedure, but he furrowed his brow. "He'll just have to wait."

...

Everything was a frightening shade of red.

Thor burst forward from a position that would have been extremely uncomfortable if he'd been awake (he'd somehow ended up by a plant in the back corner) and ran towards the front, where the Guardians sat. If it weren't for their physical presences to assure him, he would have thought he still witnessed the results of Thanos' destruction.

"What's happening?!" He shouted, his roar mingling with the atmosphere's high pitched whine. "Why can't we see anything?"

A small rodent-like creature scowled up at him.

"Relax, ya big pirate, we're just entering the stratosphere." Then, as an afterthought, "Now get your hand off my seat."

Thor complied (after all, he _was_ in a pilot's seat, and Thor would rather not make him swerve due to distraction) and unevenly moved back a few steps. He balanced himself instead on the seat with the Groot strapped to it. The Groot gave him a once-over, extended a branch for a fist bump, and refocused himself to a neon-colored screen.

Thor took in all the red his eye could handle, wondering how the ship didn't combust. "So we're entering Earth, then?"

"That's right." Starlord gave a slight nod in his direction. "It would be helpful if you told us where these Avengers are supposed to be."

"New York."

Starlord was unamused. "Is that all you've got?"

"When I went to Tony Stark's place in the past, it usually wasn't by ship." Thor thought about it. "I can most likely land us if you let me pilot."

"No way." That was the rodent speaking.

Starlord echoed with what he thought was the rodent's gist. "No offense, but we barely know you, man. I can't just let you take over my ship."

"Do you even know how many credits this thing is worth?" The rodent added, to which Starlord eventually nodded.

"And yes, it's also worth a lot."

Thor's mouth set into a firm, grim line. "Then how do you expect to arrive?"

"Mantis, can you look up - what was this place called again?"

"Avengers Tower." Thor's disposition definitively worsened.

"Avengers Tower."

"You expect to find it on the holonet? That's a poor plan, even for you." Gamora followed their conversation unsmiling, but now she had to object – their stubbornness was ludicrous. "We'd crash or burn at that rate."

"Or both," Drax added indifferently.

The rodent didn't turn back to address her, choosing instead to keep focus on his window of red. "I, for one, am not about to take my paws off the wheel or my butt out of this seat. You and _Starlord_ here can duke it out."

"Why doesn't Thor just navigate while you pilot?" Also not the best idea, probably, but at least better than what Quill had suggested.

"I..." Quill made eye contact with Thor, who nodded. He begrudgingly shrugged. "Alright. We're exiting the Stratosphere in 3-"

The red pulled away to a clear blue sky, and from the edge of the windows lay shiny grey dots. Skyscrapers, many of which they were rapidly approaching. Quill pulled on the brakes.

Despite the urgency of the pressure and gravitational pull skewing the ship's movement, seeing a fully Terran city for the first time in decades brought a smile to Quill's face. "New York. Where're we headed?"

"There should be a tower with a circular plank sticking out of it."

Quill's smile turned to a hard grimace. "Anything else?"

"A large 'A' is on the front," Thor added after a second. Then after another, "Turn the ship the other way and travel northwest."

Quill tried to turn as smoothly as he could and nearly ran into a the edge of a building. He maxed out the propulsion to increase their distance just as Thor shouted, "That one was Avengers tower!"

"Oh, great."

Quill stopped trying to pull the ship upwards and hit all the brakes, scrabbling to descend in a way that wouldn't take the landing pad down with them.

For the second time that day, Thor was nearly flung around, but he managed to hold on to Groot's chair as the impact rushed through. What got him instead was landing back on the floor.

Landing back on the floor got the ship, too. Needless to say, there were flames.

...

"When did Tony Stark say Thor would come?" Ned was seriously debating whether it was worth taking a break from keeping watch to go grab a soda.

"Well, he didn't mention a time _per se_ , but that means it could happen any moment."

Ned pulled down his cap, sighing. "If you say so..." They'd been waiting for hours.

"He just wants us to keep watch." Peter once again scanned his surroundings. Nothing. Code Egg had disappointed them.

Technically, that was supposed to be a good thing.

"Which way do you think Thor will arrive?"

"Eh...that direction." Peter pointed randomly.

Ned rolled his eyes. "What mode of travel?"

They'd already thoroughly debated what Mr. Stark meant by 'losing' a hammer, including it being flung so fast it travelled into a different dimension. But neither of them knew how reliant Thor was on his hammer for traveling, so they moved on to that next.

"Bifrost, I guess?" Peter had always wanted to see someone travel that way.

"I don't know, man, I think I'd want to be more discreet than that."

"Dude. I don't think I've ever seen you discreet."

"Well, I've never been an Asgardian either, so..." Ned folded his hands over his head. It was a pretty valid point.

"Well, okay, but what if-"

A large roar drowned out his words as an even _larger_ ship drop-crashed in front of them. So much for discreet.

Peter and Ned stared at the flaming, epic spacecraft that now nested askew on the non-functional landing pad. Peter hypothesized that when the tower was functional its landing zone must have used some sort of gravitational stabilizer to help with landings. He and Ned tried earlier, of course, to boot the system, but all Peter's pass allowed him was the right to use the air conditioner and emergency panel.

Emergency panel.

Peter started and ran to the panel, fumbling to find a relevant button. Ned, still slightly dazed by seeing a spacecraft up close, turned as if he was wading through water. "Peter?"

 _Quinjet Landing: Fire Extinguisher._ "Got it."

Bright white foam sprayed like electrical sparks from every angle that geared towards the ship. He didn't know whether the foam was supposed to stop automatically, but it was a big ship, so he just let the extinguisher run. It took until about three-fourths of the ship was covered for the intensity of the spray to subside.

Although obviously still impressed, Ned now appeared much more clear-headed. Peter rejoined him. "You good?"

"Yeah."

They began to walk towards the structure, and as if on cue, the gangway opened, causing a dark hole to appear amidst the swath of white foam.

The man who stepped out was battered, ragged, Mjolnir-less, short-haired, and had only one eye. But he was obviously Thor, so Peter and Ned considered their mission a success.

Then Thor centered his gaze on the two of them.

His voice came out as a low whisper. "Who are you?"

Peter blanched at his unfriendly expression but soldiered on. "I'm Peter. I'm friends with Tony Stark and he asked me to escort you."

Thor shifted his gaze to Ned, who quickly added, "I'm helping him escort."

Thor looked unimpressed. "Is Stark not here?"

"No; see, since you left he's moved upstate to a place he calls the Avengers mansion, but he knew you'd be here, so he asked me to be here and I asked Ned to help." The words rushed out of Peter, and he really hoped Thor trusted him because if he didn't there then there would be a severe setback in the get-Thor-to-the-Mansion plan.

Thor straightened, and Peter noticed he grabbed for something that wasn't there.

 _Mjolnir._

"Well then," Thor said. "Take us to this mansion."

"Us?" Ned asked.

"Us." Thor gestured to the ship, and Peter thought he saw a quick movement at the edge of the gangplank. "We need to give him some news."

...

Loki was working himself into a mental breakdown when Vision came back.

"Mr. Stark is here." Vision's expression remained guarded.

Loki inhaled and tried to match his composure. "I see."

"Once he's finished with business downstairs I suspect he'd like to discuss with you."

Loki couldn't tell if Vision was toying with him by declining to mention the tesseract. Perhaps he was merely waiting for Stark's arrival.

"Thank you." Loki nodded in a dismissive manner, expecting Vision to leave him alone. He stayed put.

Pausing just long enough for Loki to renew nervousness, Vision asked, "Is that what you've decided to wear?"

Loki looked down. Considering the circumstances, it seemed an odd thing to bring up, and he didn't think his apparel was incredibly strange. "Erm, yes?" He'd checked his selection multiple times and couldn't perceive any natural reason to be made fun of, although with Stark, there was always some edge.

Vision raised his eyebrows but changed the topic. "Until he arrives, Mr. Stark requests that you refrain from causing mischief."

"He forgets who he's addressing," Loki mumbled, but under Vision's intense glare nodded his understanding. He felt more askew and confused than before.

...

It was about time to check in with the Jotun, and sending his eldest – Ebony Maw – seemed the most enjoyable, if not most surefire, way to do so. Thanos knew Maw wouldn't disappoint. And if he learned that the Jotun failed him...

Well, Thanos would deal with that himself.

* * *

 **A/N edit thing: yeah, so that one perspective per chapter thing was a bust.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	12. In the end (Part 1)

**Guess what! This chapter gets a title _and_ a quote. The whole ordeal. **

**Speaking of ordeals...**

* * *

 _ **It is the end of the game, but the beginning of the legacy.**_

* * *

 _Thanos looked surprised, if only slightly, when Loki arrived by ship (although crashed was a more accurate term). As soon as he entered the barren trash-waste cesspit that was Sakaar, what remained of the ship fell apart. And Loki stood among the rubble, gradually reverting from Jotun blue to the pale skin everyone knew him by, until all which was left of his former hue came from the cube in his hand. It glowed. He walked toward Thanos slowly._

 _"It would have been easier to arrive by using the Tesseract," Thanos noted warily._

 _"I dislike leaving unnecessary evidence." He hoped that the response would be the end of the subject._

 _Thanos frowned, and Loki steeled himself for what might come._

 _"Your motives are dubious." Well, that was an understatement._

 _"But you must understand," Thanos continued, "that I have made mine perfectly clear."_

 _Against his best intentions Loki's gaze darted towards the gauntlet. Thanos smiled. "I have three stones yet to gain aside from the one you hold before me. One of the stones is locked away. But there's another still on earth from your failed attempt."_

 _"Do you wish me to finish what I started?" Loki chanced a look upward and presented himself with a bemused air._

 _Thanos regarded him stonily._ _"I would, had your intentions been more steadfast."_

 _The silence that followed was asphyxiating._

 _"But I suppose you would be useful in other ways. I want for you to return what you lost. Prove to me you are still loyal."_

 _Loki hesitated over Thanos' words. "I will gladly retrieve the stone, but finding a suitable replacement for the Chitauri may take time and end up being an inconvenience to you." If Thanos wanted him to recover everything he'd lost when battling New York, Loki was done for._

 _But Thanos didn't seem to care. "The army I gave you was meant to be destroyed. I want for you to return the stone."_

 _Loki didn't quite understand his response (and despite what Thanos said, something told him he would pay for the Chitauri one way or another), but he understood the task. A mix of relief and surprise washed over him…and with it came a sneaking suspicion that the mission was too ideal. He scrambled to find the drawback._

 _"How shall I inform you that I have retrieved the objects?"_

 _The barest hint of a smile passed across Thanos' features._

 _"I'll find you."_

The words still grated against Loki, and he knew that whatever time he had left was already probably gone. Thanos worked too fast.

Vision earlier had made clear the limits of Loki's domain. He was restricted to the current floor, and not even that – he had the whole of two rooms and a hallway. But he supposed it was warranted.

Loki rested his head now against the wall, trying to figure out what to say when Stark inevitably came upstairs. He wasn't quite sure Stark believed him – which in itself was dangerously unhelpful – and secondly, he was astounded that Stark considered other business important enough to shove him aside.

On second thought, perhaps not that astounded.

It didn't help that Loki couldn't remember where he'd left off. Somewhere before his conversation with Thanos, he was certain, or he wouldn't have even gotten the two rooms and a hallway. But Stark might not have understood there was a problem, and that concerned him greatly.

Loki opened his eyes and was greeted by the faintest glowing of blue beside him. Alarmed, he reached for what should have looked like empty space.

Although his magic was slowly returning, he didn't want to quickly re-deplete it. Instead of transferring the cube to empty dimension space like he'd previously done, he'd merely used a minor cloaking device, which kept the cube more liable but also closer to reach. He didn't think there was as much of a need for it to completely vanish, not at that moment. But he hadn't expected _this_. Loki uncloaked it now, examining the color. It seemed to pulse at him.

It was active. Which meant...nothing good, really. Either Thanos or his children had arrived, and Loki honestly wasn't sure which was worse.

What he did know was that it would be the death of him to stay locked up. He needed to figure out a plan, any plan, no matter how badly managed it was –

"Vision!" he called.

And hope it didn't all fall to pieces.

He didn't even bother with cloaking the tesseract, and as soon as Vision entered the room he shot at Loki with the mind stone (which Loki didn't quite find fair). He shielded himself as adequately as he could and the tesseract shattered from the impact.

As it did so, however, it reflected the beam towards Vision's chest, and he crumpled to the ground – thankfully not phasing through to the floor underneath.

The space stone now lay bare among a myriad of broken crystal, and Loki, grimacing, haphazardly rebuilt a new structure which ended leaving half of the pieces behind. Then, darting over to Vision before he could regain mobility, Loki thrust the newly formed tesseract into his hand and closed his eyes, finally drawing from the puddle that was his magic supply. He flicked his free wrist harshly.

They promptly disappeared.

...

Peter was trying to find a polite way to ask about the rest of Thor's crewmates when both of their attentions swerved towards beyond the side of Stark Tower.

 _Well, that's not great._

 _A ginormous metal ring crashed through the sky. Definitely alien and probably trouble. A quick glance to Thor's expression confirmed his thoughts. But he asked anyways._

 _"Is that-"_

Thor ignored him and, to Peter's sudden alarm, made for the edge of Stark Tower – before realizing he had nothing to slow his descent. He opted instead to storm back inside the ship and speak (or rather yell) to the figures Peter still hadn't met. "Do your escape pods still work?"

One of the figures responded just as loudly, but the pitch of his voice was profoundly less deep. "What, you want to wreck that too?"

"Well," Thor conceded, before following up with a "once you come outside, you'll understand."

Apparently the person didn't want to come outside, because the next thing Peter heard was a very disgruntled "Hey!"

Thor dragged out with him a man who looked surprisingly human-looking for being on an alien spacecraft. Then again, Thor also looked fairly human to Peter, so he guessed it was hard to tell.

Either way, Thor refused to acknowledge the man's clear resentment at being wrestled down the gangway. He pushed him outwards, towards the edge of the tower.

"Look."

The man crossed his arms, turning away. "You know what, I'm not gonna-"

"Just look, won't you?"

The man looked. But all he said afterwards was "Can you let go of me now?" in a slightly subdued tone.

Thor lowered his voice as well. "Now you know what I need it for."

But the man clearly still disliked the idea. "There's no way you're going to come up against _that_ with an escape pod."

"Not if the escape pod does all the work for me." Thor scrutinized the ring, thumping a hand on the disgruntled man's back. "I have a plan."

"Does it involve the rest of the crew or do you plan on us letting him book it?"

Peter turned at the new voice and-

"Is that a raccoon?"

The raccoon glared at him sharply. "The raccoon's name is Rocket, and would prefer if you stayed out of this very important conversation." He walked down and pointed at Thor. "You aren't going anywhere without us until you pay for the parts you obliterated!"

The human-looking man gave Rocket a look before turning to Thor and asking, "How many escape pods do you need?"

Thor shrugged. "One for me and however many you and your crew require."

Rocket the raccoon still tried to argue his case. "Quill, come on, you can't be serious about this."

"Look, there's a reason why we're called the Guardians of the Galaxy." Quill turned towards Thor, then spun back to add, "And that's my ship, by the way. Just because you pilot it doesn't mean it's yours."

"Yeah, well there's gonna be no pilots if we can't get this trash heap fixed, and I don't see any ideas coming off of you, _Starlord_." Rocket angrily stormed back towards the depths of the ship.

Quill refocused on Thor. "Two pods for me, one for you. Let's talk formation."

They also started moving back towards the ship, and Peter, realizing what was happening, frantically caught Thor's attention.

"Mr. Thor, um," he cringed at how his words were going to sound in light of aliens attacking the city, _again_ , but – "what should I tell Mr. Stark?"

For a mess of reasons he didn't know how to describe it was still somehow important.

Thor stopped and half-smiled towards Peter. "Tony Stark will meet me at the scene of the action. He's an Avenger. That's what we do."

"I can help!" Peter suddenly exclaimed, just then also realizing how he must look to Thor and Quill, a scrawny 15-year-old, overeager. "I, um, have a suit."

Bound to get in the way.

"I'll let Stark know you fulfilled your mission," Thor responded, which basically told him he'd hypothesized correctly.

So Peter stood in frustration while he heard their voices echo from inside the ship, enhanced senses catching Quill ask Thor if, 'when we're done, you know anyone who can repair our ship because it's kind of important to my crew that we're able to leave the planet sometime' and Thor replying that 'if anybody on this planet can repair a ship it would be Tony Stark, and I'll have him acquainted to you if all goes accordingly' and Quill saying 'thanks, I'll take what I can get' and Peter miserably noting that he could have been the one to suggest Mr. Stark to Quill but since he wasn't part of the conversation he couldn't, and he didn't need to anyways because Thor had it covered. Then he watched each escape pod eject from the ship. The cool aspect of it was wasted on him.

So Peter and Ned were alone on the landing pad of the tower for the second time that day.

"Dude," Peter started, going inside. "I'm going to go down there and join them. I have to."

Ned flung his hands. "How?" The exasperation and longing in his voice were clear. "We don't know how to drive escape pods?"

Peter looked around for his backpack. "I'll swing. You take care of things from here."

"It's so far away. Aren't you going to run out of webs?"

"How else am I supposed to get there?" Peter made sure his suit was inside and was about to go change when he looked up.

Ned's expression was 100% incredulity. "Seriously?"

So they took the bus.

"Community transit," he'd reminded him in disbelief. "It's the fastest way."

 _This was the worst way._

As soon as they came close enough for Peter's Spidey-Sense to kick in, he fist-bumped Ned and jumped out of the window in a heartbeat, trying to catch up with the plan he technically wasn't a part of.

 _The giant red floaty ring?_ Not _a plus._

...

It was a surprise to Stephen Strange that Stark and Bruce arrived as quickly as they did. Their mode was unorthodox – as per usual, if the news gave any indication. Stephen didn't consider the spot of roof which Dr. Banner unwillingly smashed open only hours before as an entrance, but apparently the whole of New York was free parking to men like Tony Stark. He descended in Iron Man attire holding the wind-swept Dr. Banner and made his way shortly to base of the stairs.

"So you've made the party," he started dryly, but Stark didn't even dismantle his mask.

"Can it, wizard. We've got bigger problems."

At Stephen's pronounced confusion, he continued, "Look outside."

Stephen didn't trust Stark, but if there was one thing he could hold Tony to decency for it was the desire to keep people safe. It seemed that this particular urgency stemmed from that.

The explosion Stephen witnessed upon stepping outside confirmed it. He immediately formed his signature shields, and from the corner of his eye he noticed Wong had rendered the same.

An alien spacecraft (undoubtedly tied to the threat Dr. Banner described) rained fire over what was potentially Tallulah Park while making a speedy descent behind a half-built skyscraper. Dr. Banner re-opened the door to join him, still out of breath, and Stark returned to the sky in order to face him in the street.

"You could have just knocked," Stephen said.

"I like my version; adds a bit more flair." The annoying thing about Stark was that even while masked Strange could surmise his expressions.

"No update from the Captain?" Stephen asked Dr. Banner, and Banner shook his head.

"If Steve Rogers shows he'll know where to meet us." The disapproval, mixed with something Strange couldn't quite name, travelled through Stark's mask and made itself plain. "It's not everyday aliens attack New York." His armor pulsed once, and he left them all to fly through the street. Apparently, he wanted a head start.

Strange glanced towards Wong, who, guessing his thoughts, frowned at him.

He was right, Strange reluctantly conceded; using a portal just to beat Tony Stark to the scene of the battle was a misuse of the magic and could set them at a disadvantage. He pushed the rearing pettiness aside and instead responded to Tony's quip even though he knew he was no longer close enough to hear it.

"Let's keep it that way."

They could already percieve noises of conflict from beyond the unfinished building, and he made for the source – they all did.

He didn't look down; there wasn't any need for him to think of doing so. But if he had, he would have noticed the peculiar, pulsing green glow which emitted from the eye-shaped casket slung around his neck.

...

Bruce noticed.

First Loki was missing, _with_ Vision, to boot, and what was worse, the only thing he'd left behind was a small pile of crystal. A pile of highly energized crystal, which, as Friday had informed them, matched the same signature of the Tesseract.

And now Thanos was coming. Thanos, who could destroy a whole ship at a whim. Thanos, who was about to have an extra two infinity stones at his disposal. And Dr. Strange was going to bring a fifth one into the scene.

To say it was a bad turn of events would be an insult to understatement. Bruce was terrified.

...

* * *

 **To take one from the film, "We're in the endgame now."**

 **Disclaimer: I never actually watched _Dr. Strange_ , but I hope his character portrayal was alright. I drew from his scenes in the other MCU films and also from Benedict Cumberbatch's characterization of Sherlock (since they seem to share a personality trait or two).**

 **I know, it's been two months since the last update, _but._ I've written out most of the rest of this story, which means that another two month time space would be out of order. I'll try to update within the month (maybe a week or two from now if possible). ****I think there may be two chapters left - a concluding chapter and an epilogue.**

 **Thank you to all who continue to read this story - and to those who just joined the ride! I sincerely hope you're enjoying it.**

 **If you have the time, it would mean a lot to send a review with your thoughts or critiques or reactions or whatever-have-you's, but e** **ither way, until the next! Farewell.**

 _ **Quote Source:**_ **Anthony Mackie** _ **,** **Wired Autocomplete Interview (at approx. 0:50)**_ **.**


	13. In the end (Part 2)

Thor crashed his escape ship with aplomb. Watching the sparks fly off of the metal ring, he jumped towards the next closest structure, a lamp pole. From the corner of his vision he saw Drax roll to a stop, and Starlord countering his own fall through the use of jet thrusters.

 _Now the fight will come to us._

Like Thor expected, the ship began to land. He checked their nearby surroundings. They were at the edge of a park, which was beneficial. A wide space with few people around, and those who were around now quickly made their exit.

Unlike Thor expected, the aliens exiting the spacecraft didn't venture towards him. Of course, they also didn't leave him alone – the moment the door opened a giant blue beast was upon him – but the one who'd aided in annihilating his people so carelessly, who had ripped Thor's ship to shreds, left the craft as if there was all the time in the world to spare. He paused once, observing their situation, and headed off in a direction that seemed meaningless to Thor.

Thor missed Mjolnir, but at the moment he would have sprung for any weapon. He didn't have time to wrestle the blue fiend to death. He looked to Starlord and Drax, both busy fighting problems of their own, and the rest of the crew, who were too far away to be of any service. He scowled and elbowed the creature.

 _There._ His eye (at that moment not completely obscured by fur) spotted the now-bent lamp post. _That will do._ He aimed to wrestle the beast aside, avoiding its jaws and kicking as it scratched at wherever it could. As soon as Thor found a second of free movement, he ran for the light fixture, wrenched it off its foundation, and swung immediately. He meant to hit the beast's side but the bent beam ended hooking just around its ear.

Apparently, that was enough. With a scream of pain, the creature flew sideways and toppled heavily. Thor allowed himself a second to breathe and ensure that the creature wouldn't revive. As far as he could tell, it didn't.

Now he quickly searched for the alien, who had evidently long since disappeared within the maze of metal buildings. Their bright, reflective glare was a bad compliment to the enveloping heat.

"Hey, man!"

Thor looked down, blinking the sun spots away.

 _Who are-_

"Who are you?"

If his eye saw correctly, there was a very small and red-suited figure standing in front of him. Thor heaved the pole into a position of leverage, scowling.

The figure immediately raised his hands in surrender before one hand lowered to take off his mask.

"It's me, Peter! The guy Mr. Stark asked to help escort you – I mean, before this other spaceship appeared and you went into Avenger mode. I'm actually a superhero too."

Thor didn't relax his stance nor his grip on his weapon. "I am in no mood for reintroductions."

Peter, who had started to lower his arms, now re-lifted them jerkily. "Okay that's fair. _But_ I think you might want an introduction to an alien that went in a weird direction because that's who came out of the metal alien pod, right?"

Now Thor relaxed his grip, if only slightly. "Where did he go?"

"He's pretty close to where you landed, actually." Peter used the hand that held his mask to scratch his head. "He's kind of floating near the entrance." They could both plainly see the tower's edge (and the carcass of the guardians' ship) from where they stood.

"Then I shall meet him there." Thor broke the pole where it bent, then discarded the end with the lights. This makeshift weapon was much more manageable.

But he didn't move.

"Um," started Peter nervously, "Do you need a lift? I don't think I can carry you and it's kind of a long run – I mean it's possible but–" Peter looked up at the sudden cumulation of clouds, then back at Thor, and he quieted as lightning began to race around Thor's arms. "Oh."

"You talk too much," Thor said, and feeling the static coursing through him, pulled for the sky. A rumble of thunder accompanied the pure electricity that propelled him as he weaved over the streets of New York.

Peter smelled the distinct waft of singed concrete, and behind him the Guardians stood stiff, eyeing the lightning-lit path in disbelief. Rocket closed his mouth enough to murmur, "He could do that this whole time and you let him wreck the escape pods? We got robbed."

"I am Groot," Groot responded, disgruntled.

It was the mechanical whine that finally caused them all to tear away from the sight.

It was Tony Stark, in the metal. He lifted his mask halfway through speaking.

"Did I miss something? I feel like I missed something."

...

The faint rumble of thunder reminded Thor to give the buildings he passed a good berth – he didn't want the whole grid to explode in an untimely shower of sparks. Yet he still could not find that floating wretch, Ebony Maw. Thanos' spawn had made himself void.

However, something else did catch his eye – enough so for him to stop.

The bridge was an oddity, and would likely catch fire if Thor had landed directly on top of it. But the wooden invention was not so near as strange as the figure who stood at its end.

"Loki," Thor breathed. His brother had made it to earth, alive – and with him, of all oddities, was Vision. His other hand held a wooden sword, as splintered and frail as the bridge.

A distinct and unwelcome feeling began to slowly but surely constrict where Thor hypothesized his ribcage existed.

Loki saw him. There was no doubt about that. Thor had landed straight across from him.

But Loki didn't respond.

...

Thor began to make his way across the bridge. Gingerly, so as not to destroy the thing, and cautiously, because he was walking across to Loki. As frail as the support was, Loki would have gripped the bridge's railing until his knuckles turned white if either of his hands were free.

Thor didn't walk the whole way across – perhaps he was too smart for that – but he came just close enough to be able to jab at Loki's sword. Loki wasn't sure exactly what Thor was hitting it _with_ , but that was hardly the point.

As the hologram surrounding Loki's weapon peeled away, Thor's eye narrowed in mild confusion and apprehension. "Is that a..."

He shook his head slightly, and Loki finished his sentence.

"Scepter."

Thor's eye widened. "Loki..."

But Loki's focus was driven elsewhere as a plume of black lightning erupted behind him, and Thor's eye widened further as Loki turned and _kneeled_.

Thor was out of Loki's thoughts, now. He couldn't risk focusing on anything else when in front of him stood one of Thanos' underlings – er, children – who had come to see his mission completed.

Ebony Maw. The reptilian, raspy voice would sound neutral to anyone else who didn't spend his life studying every tinge of undertone. The imperialism Maw implied was as plain as day, and Maw knew Loki heard it. It was meant for him to hear.

"Your presence leaves much to be desired." Almost worse than Valkyrie.

No, definitely worse. If he responded, there might actually be a consequence.

"As does yours," Thor responded.

Loki's glare shot daggers that Thor pointedly refused to acknowledge.

"So you survived," Maw addressed. "We will deal with that later." With a rustle of movement, a section of building was ripped away, and Maw pinned Thor down by glass and wire.

Maw returned to the business between him and Loki. "Do you have what Thanos ordered?"

"I am in possession of two of the stones." The words came through gritted teeth.

"Who is this?"

Thankfully, he was referring to Vision, not Thor, though Loki doubted their conversation would omit the topic for long. He smiled gracefully – bitingly.

"This is the keeper of the mind stone. It is the most recent wielder, the same way the scepter was previously."

"Well, then," Maw said, one part irritably, one part cruel, both somehow melded on his features with a smile, "It takes a scepter to break a scepter. But you have not performed the task."

"I only recently regained the scepter and wished to prove to you my loyalty." Loki straightened and gripped the scepter in his hand more firmly.

"Recently regained?" Maw's eyes narrowed menacingly. "Where was it before?"

"Underneath the bridge. Carrying such an object would bring suspicion, as you can probably imagine." Loki shrugged apologetically, and at Maw's unsympathetic stare, hurriedly continued. "But I will gladly perform the task here and now."

"You were requested to have the stones ready by the time I was tasked to retrieve them. Since you are obviously inadequate, I will take the stones to Thanos myself, with you in my stead."

"Please," Loki said quickly, "There's no need to take it in this form, is there? Let me-"

"You misunderstand my statement, Jotun," Maw snarled. "I would never disgrace Thanos by presenting such a bulky carriage. Since you did not complete the task in time, I will retrieve the stones myself, and thus the reward will be mine. Hand me the scepter."

Loki eyed the obsidian and slate-grey object within his hand, and slowly, chagrined, lifted the scepter for Ebony Maw to use.

"Prepare for me the transaction."

Loki set Vision down on the bridge so that the stone was nearest to Maw.

"The subject is sentient," Loki mentioned helpfully. "I'd suggest you hold him down."

Maw glared until Loki lowered his gaze. "I shall assist you however you wish."

"Then you shall ensure he does not cause me trouble." The words slid out as a lethal whisper.

Loki held Vision. Maw towered over Vision's head, one foot on his shoulder, and put the scepter to work.

The yellow stone shone bright and clear, and Vision's eyes flew wide as he began to protest.

"Hold him down," Maw again ordered, a slight tinge of annoyance accompanying his tone.

Loki hissed with the effort of containing him during the endless process – until Vision stiffened, and the dislocated stone fell to the wooden boards with a 'clink.'

It was over. The stone rolled along the bridge's slope before catching on the crack between two of the beams.

Smiling, Maw dropped the scepter and called the stone to his palm. "Thanos will be most pleased."

"Then I am pleased to hear so." Loki stood slowly, carefully, now certainly gripping the railing for support. The pallor of his skin had turned bone white from the effort, as if all of the blood had been drained straight out of him.

Quietly, in a shudder of breath, Loki whispered, "Now."

Maw glanced sharply towards Loki, and in that instant he was assaulted by Vision – the real Vision – from behind.

The glamour gave way; the stone in Maw's hand was reduced to crystal, and Loki, despite his efforts, collapsed. He held out his hands to steady him but hit the bridge with full force.

 _If_ Vision did his job correctly, they'd won the Avengers time.

The only question, then, was how much, and that was the second to last thought Loki entertained before he inevitably thought of nothing.

The last real thought he held was _this will probably hurt when I wake._

...

"High energy levels emerging from the southwest sector near old Avengers Tower."

"Thanks, Friday."

Tony zig-zagged his way past buildings and coffee shops until he found the sight.

 _And_ , Tony thought, stunned, _what a sight_. He flipped open his mask.

First of all, there was a creature that looked like it came straight out of Doctor Who. Tony assumed that was the bad guy. He looked...well, he looked dead. He had been killed, and he didn't appear very happy about it.

Second of all, there was Thor, and that was a whole different set of weird and unnatural – which Tony supposed was a given when aliens were involved. He knew in some sense what Thor was supposed to look like after engaging in Loki's literal mind-trip, but it was jarring to see it in person, and he was covered in glass and metal and the occasional odd bit of building cement. And speaking of Loki –

Loki was dressed like a goth teenager and lay sprawled out flat in the middle of a wooden bridge. Stone cold unconscious. At least, Tony hoped he was.

"Friday, check his vitals for distinguishing factors."

"Heart beat severely under-average."

"Great."

He'd have Bruce figure out what that meant later. All he needed to know was whether Loki was alive, and he was, for the moment.

The only person he could hope to make sanity out of the mess in front of him was Vision.

Vision, who was holding and examining a peculiar-looking scepter, one that reminded Tony of a time he'd rather forget.

Vision, who noticed Tony's expression and lowered the object.

"Vision," Tony began, finally landing, and his voice sounded more than a little strained, "please tell me there's an explanation for all of this."

Vision hesitated. "We had a problem."

"Yeah," Tony said, and it was a shell of the word. "Yeah, no kidding."

Peter, donned in his spider-suit – Tony's spider-suit, the one he'd made for Peter, the one Peter probably used too much – landed swiftly beside him. "Hey, Mr. Stark! I noticed you left and..." He slowed to a stop as he took in the sight. "Woah."

"Yeah." Tony echoed himself wearily. "No kidding."

* * *

 **Thank you for reading.**


	14. An Epilogue Of Sorts

Loki woke to a muted shade of white ceiling. It reminded him of the prison cells in Asgard. He disliked it.

Slowly, Loki gazed around. It was the same room he'd woken up to only a day before, he was fairly certain - except much tidier. The broken crystal left from the old tesseract had vanished; otherwise he couldn't find any real difference. He lifted his gaze to eye-level.

There was a very large difference, and it was sitting right in front of him. The realization that Loki wasn't alone jolted him into perception.

Thor, settled in between the door and the cabinet, watched him uncertainly. Discomfort wrote all over his features, but Loki assumed that came from sitting in a chair meant for a much smaller frame. When he saw Loki notice him, his face brightened – if only an iota.

"Hello, brother."

He even held a small ornament, but didn't throw it. Perhaps he thought it would cause Loki harm.

 _If Thor thinks a small metal weight would detriment me considerably_ , Loki realized with a start, _I must be in a worse shape than I assumed_.

That or Thor was being overcautious, but Loki shook and sat himself upright with the aim of testing his strength.

Physically, he was in surprisingly good shape. Still, there was a hollow kind of weakness that ran through his bones, and Loki sat still for a moment, trying to understand the strange event.

 _Magic._

The realization came upon him with a start.

 _It's completely shut off._

In a technical sense, he knew he'd overused it and it would slowly return. But even with that in mind, he felt uncomfortable, like he was lacking something vital. If he stood up he'd probably find himself off balance.

Thor, still watching, squeezed the ornament tightly.

 _It's the Mjolnir hand_ , Loki thought, idly. _I'm surprised it doesn't break in his grasp_.

He also realized that he hadn't said anything in response to Thor's greeting.

"You've been residing over me," Loki started with.

"Shall I send Stark in?"

"Like a stubborn nurse." Loki continued.

Thor conceded the edge of a smile. "I'll tell him you're in good spirits."

"No need," Loki said, looking above them for the invisible machinery. "He probably already knows."

Stark arrived not long after, with his hands in his pockets.

"Are you up for a walk?"

"I've yet to decide."

"Let's go for a walk."

Loki looked between Stark and Thor's expressions and figured that 'the walk' probably wouldn't bode well for him, but he didn't have much of a choice. Which began the arduous process of getting himself out of the bed.

As Loki'd gathered before, he was physically fine, but he couldn't help clutching the bedside as he stood. It came as a surprise to him not to need it.

His lack of magic didn't make him feel off-balance, or drained, or even lighter than usual. It just wasn't there.

He straightened himself, a slight frown on his face, and followed Stark outside.

As soon as the door slid closed he heard a faint _thunk_ , which Loki surmised was Thor throwing the ornament. He almost wished Thor had let him catch it - it would have given him assurance that he might make it back.

Stark didn't move too far down from the room before stopping to lean against the wall.

"So."

Loki raised an eyebrow.

"Vision told me what happened."

"Yes?"

"Yeah, and he didn't seem to have all the details so I'd like to hear it from you."

Loki paused. He hadn't expect Stark to ask this - at least, not so directly. Or immediately. "Where should we start?"

"How about you tell me?"

"What?"

"Tell me where you started. And I mean _tell_ me, not Jedi mind trick. I have a crowd full of people downstairs with a none-too-high view of you, and if I'm going to convince any one of them - or myself, for that matter - that you're not just here to destroy everyone like you tried to do last time, I need to hear the full story."

Loki was stunned.

 _Trust?_

Stark actually wanted to trust him.

...

"Let me get this straight." Tony rubbed his forehead; it'd been a long day and it wasn't even noon. "Vision _pretended_ to die but he didn't actually die because you put a crystal...whatchamacallit on top of his stone. A shard."

"Yes." Loki sounded as despondent and tired as Tony felt.

"And you were _actually_ using your magic to make it seem like the scepter was meeting resistance."

"If you consider trying to keep the shard from exploding to bits upon contact, then yes."

"And then when you stood up, you..." Tony just stopped and waited for Loki to balance out the tale. All he'd been asking for was repetition, anyway.

"When I stood up, neither I or Maw were physically contacting Vision, which meant he could phase through and around the bridge while I maintained the required duplicate. Beyond that, I know nothing."

Except that apparently, the plan had worked, because Loki had been carried by Thor to Stark Mansion unharmed (except for both of his hands, which had splinters, and how those had gotten there befuddled Tony, alibi or no).

"What was supposed to happen?" Tony had heard most of the story out of order. Loki was a surprisingly bad storyteller.

Tiredly, Loki informed, "We disagreed on that point. Vision wanted to take Maw in for questioning; I warned him any attempt would be futile. I assume he took my advice."

Tony recalled the burnt patches of grass and the way Vision was holding Maw's scepter. "Yeah," Tony said. "Eventually." Vision had ended up taking it. But he was pretty sure (and Vision had quietly, solemnly confirmed) that he didn't enter the fight with that intent.

He moved on to the next question.

"Why didn't you tell Vision the whole plan?"

Loki leaned against the wall, somewhat petulantly. "We were short on time; you can't fault me on that regard," he muttered. "Surely you can piece together what you know with my additions and figure that they line up just as I said."

"Yeah, that's what worries me."

"And why should it? I've given you all I know, and I'll give you something further to back it." Loki searched within his clothing, suddenly reanimated. "If providing you with what you need prove my story's validity."

"Depends." Tony pushed himself off from the wall, wary; he'd spent the interrogation alternating between leaning against the wall and standing away from it. "What do you think we need?"

"To defeat Thanos?" Loki drew a strange glass figurine from his pocket into his palm with a shudder. "You'll need this."

Tony's eyes narrowed in confusion before he recognized it – really recognized it – and sucked in a gasp.

"The space stone is within that container," Loki said tiredly, knowing his words were redundant but needing to somehow clarify.

Slowly, Tony took the glass model from him and examined it.

"I trust that you'll be careful – it would be best to keep it dormant," Loki advised, before adding, "Doors open on both sides."

Tony nodded once and, after turning it over in his hands, carefully put the reinvented tesseract away.

The elevator dinged then, but he'd programmed it to.

"That's our cue," Tony said, and ushered Loki into the elevator.

.

"So," Tony said, when they both faced the closed doors - he was more energetic now, Loki noticed - "it's going to be more than a little surprising when you walk out. They might get upset."

Loki looked dubious but asked something else instead. "Everyone is here?"

"Yeah. The team's back together, for now. Except for Clint, but we're working on that. It's been busy."

Loki swallowed, not deigning to ask about Barton. It was probably better at the moment that he was gone. "I can imagine."

"Which is why I haven't told them about you.

"But. Don't worry, Bruce was supposed to prep them, I'm pretty sure. Letting him know he was in charge of telling everyone may have slipped through the cracks."

The first part of the sentence swept out any other thought in Loki's mind, including whatever else Stark deigned to spend breath on. "You...excuse me?"

Stark seemed to ignore him. "Anyways, you're on the team now, so they'll just have to get used to it. You can expect some cold shoulders. Oh, and after Thanos is defeated all bets of protection are off. Just a warning."

Stark moved to clap a hand on his shoulder, but Loki jerked away from it and twisted to face him.

Stark let his hand drop and did the same. "You know about Thanos, you can help us defeat him. You're on the team."

Loki saw Stark's uncertainty then, lined right above the shadows under his eyes. But he also saw that Stark meant what he said.

He was willing to trust him.

And without an inkling as to how he would convince a previously hostile team of people to consider the same, the elevator doors opened.

* * *

 **The End.**

 **Hooray, it's finished!**

 **I should probably reiterate that this fic was meant to be a 'prequel' for Infinity War. That being said, the point where this ends is very different from where Infinity War begins, but t** **his is still going to be the last chapter. I hope you enjoyed the ride! Even if sporadic updates made this fic over a year and a half in the making, whoops.**

 **Also, give all the glory to God! Without God, people and stories wouldn't exist, so it's kind of important I give the credit to the source of the talents :P**

 **Finally, thank you for reading! I'm so excited that people continued to read this story :) and the follows, favorites, and reviews added a whole other level of encouragement, so thank ALL OF YOU** **so much.**

 **Farewell!**


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